BRUSSELS-- A strong and united Europe is an absolutely fundamental pillar of a strong and effective United Nations, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

An press release, by European Parliament, quoted him as saying that global challenges such as the multiplication of conflicts, human rights violations, climate change and globalization required the EU and the UN to work together.

The UN Secretary-General addressed a number of issues, notably Syria, migration, globalization and the need to preserve cultural diversity.

This is the first time Guterres has addressed the European Parliament as UN Secretary-General since succeeding Ban Ki-moon on 1 January 2017.

Guterres was UN High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015 and Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.

Welcoming Guterres, EP President Antonio Tajani pointed out that both the UN and the EU were created after the Second World War "to ensure peace and prosperity through a multilateral cooperation." "Together, we have to find political solutions to the conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Yemen and to address Isis," said Tajani.